


Doggone dog sitter

by katnor



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Shapeshifters, Anxious Katsuki Yuuri, Dogs, M/M, Phichit Chulanont is a Little Shit, Phichit Chulanont is the Best, Supportive Victor Nikiforov
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-17
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:20:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27607555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katnor/pseuds/katnor
Summary: Viktor finds a dog at the rink one morning. He takes it home and calls the number on the collar, but it turns out the owner is out of town, and since Makkachin and the new dog have already become friends, Viktor volunteers to take care of him until the owner gets back. Little does he know there's something very special about the black miniature poodle.
Relationships: Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov
Comments: 28
Kudos: 198





	1. Rescued

Viktor freely admitted he could be rather thoughtless sometimes. He frequently forgot promises he made, he paid way too much attention to superficial things like hair, make-up and fashionable clothes, and he was not good with people in need of consolation. It wasn’t that he didn’t care, he was just bad at making unhappy people happy. He was also rather inattentive if he was really honest with himself. But this seemed to go beyond inattentiveness.

 _This_ was a dog. A poodle to be more precise. Everyone with an interest in figure skating knew Viktor Nikiforov had a standard poodle named Makkachin, whom he spoiled rotten. _This_ was not Makkachin. Viktor frowned as he tried to figure out where the miniature poodle had come from, and more importantly, what it was doing all alone in the empty rink at six in the morning. 

He knelt down and held out his hand.

”Come here boy... yes, come here, no need to be afraid! Oh, aren’t you a lovely one... now where’s your mom or dad? Can I take a look at your collar sweetheart?” He coaxed the fluffy little dog to come closer and took a careful hold of the collar to check for a phone number or ID. There was a number on the tag, and Viktor scooped the apparently good-natured dog into his arms and fumbled out his phone at the same time. He dialed the number on the tag, and waited.

”This is Phichit Chulanont speaking! Or no, it’s not... it’s just my voice on a recording! Haha! But, you know, as this is an answering machine, or somesuch, you probably know what to do! Bye!” 

Viktor looked bemused, but when the _beep_ came, he nevertheless acted.

”Hi, my name’s Viktor! I’m sorry to call so early, but I found your pup all alone at the ice rink and since your number was on his collar... anyway, I’ll take him home with me for now, so when you hear this, please call me and we can arrange something so you can have your baby back!”

Viktor had already decided to skip training this morning. He wasn’t supposed to be here at all really, he had a couple of rest days after a rather nasty collision involving Georgi Popovich, who had not been paying attention at the time. Now Georgi was banned from the rink for a week, or until he stopped moping as Yakov put it, and only allowed to train at the gym for the time being. Viktor had strict orders not to show his face at the rink for two days, but he’d thought to sneak in early and get some ice time before Yakov got there. Now it seemed the tiny pooch had put an end to that.

Viktor tucked the fluffy black poodle inside his coat to keep it warm, as the weather outside was typical of November. It was sleeting, windy and chilly, and he didn’t want the poor little thing to get his paws wet. He hurried home, thankful as always that his apartment was only a few blocks from the rink. 

When he got home, he stopped outside the apartment door and lifted out the miniature poodle from underneath his coat. He held it close and said:

”Now when we get in, don’t be alarmed by Makkachin! She’s just like you, but a lot bigger, and she’s the sweetest thing. I’m sure you’ll be great friends!” 

He opened the door and stepped inside, and Makkachin almost barreled him over, ecstatic that her dad came home so early instead of being away for most of the day. She barked happily and bounced around him, and then seemed to realise he wasn’t alone. She backed up a couple of steps and gave an inquisitive whine, and was immediately answered with a short yip from the smaller poodle. 

Viktor managed to wrangle his coat off, and, contrary to his usually fastidious habits, dropped it on the floor while still holding the miniature poodle. 

”Now Makka, I brought you a new friend, but he’s a lot smaller than you and maybe a little nervous around a big girl like you and an unfamiliar place. I want you to be on your best behaviour, do you hear? Make this little one feel welcome!”

Makkachin listened attentively and then laid down flat on the floor, her head on her front paws. She whined quietly and thumped her tail against the floor a couple of times. Viktor slowly put the smaller dog down in front of her, poised and ready to lift him up again if Makkachin by any chance was unhappy with having another dog in her home.

The tiny black poodle lifted his head and sniffed, then bravely took a step forward, tail wagging furiously. Makkachin had apparently decided to behave in the most non-threatening way she could manage, so she crawled on her belly towards the smaller canine, tail still thumping loudly against the floorboards. Viktor watched, mesmerised and charmed.

Makkachin suddenly bounced to her feet, barking happily, and to Viktor’s delight, the other poodle barked too, and then they took off through the apartment, chasing each other, yipping and giving little barks of encouragement every now and then. The miniature poodle was running after Makkachin, who stopped suddenly, turned around and gave chase, and this went on for quite some time, until they both apparently grew tired and came back to Viktor who was still standing in the hallway, bemused smile on his face.

”So Makkachin, I guess this means you made a new friend, huh? Now if only we knew what to call him... there was no name on the collar as far as I could tell, just the phone number to his papa.”

As if on cue, Viktor’s phone rang. The number on the display was the one he had called earlier, and he answered promptly.

”Oh hello, is this Viktor? I’m Phichit – you called about my dog?”

”Ah, yes that’s right. I brought him home with me, I didn’t think the rink was the best place for him... come to think of it, how on earth did he get in there? I have a key, so I let myself in this morning, but there was no one there, not since last night I’d guess. Unless you...?” 

”I’m out of the country at the moment”, the other man explained quickly. ”He must have... run away from the dog sitter. Who lives near the rink. Uh...”

”If you give me the name and address of the dog sitter, I can probably take him back there”, Viktor suggested. ”By the way, what’s his name? I didn’t find a name on the collar.” 

”It’s Yu... Yu-Yu. Uh, I can try to get a hold of the dog sitter, he’s at work and won’t answer any calls from unknown numbers. He, uh, works double shifts, so...”

Viktor frowned. This didn’t sound like a reliable dog sitter at all! Makkachin’s dog sitter spent most of the time taking care of her charge, and a dog sitter who lost the precious pup without contacting the owner and just went to work, well, this just would not do!

”When will you be back in town?”

”I’m flying home on Tuesday”, the other man answered.

Viktor thought quickly. It was Friday now. He could do this.

”I can take care of him! He’s already become friends with my dog, and I’m off from work for the next few days, so I can take him on walks and take them both to the dog park to play.”

”Well, uh...”

”If it’s because you don’t know me, I can assure you I take excellent care of my dog, and I love all dogs, but poodles especially! And Yu-Yu and Makka really seem to have hit it off, they just played for a while and now they’re sharing Makka’s bed.”

”Well... if Yu... if Yu-Yu seems happy where he is, then maybe it’s for the best. What did you say your dog’s name was again?”

”Makka. It’s short for Makkachin. She’s a standard poodle.”

The other man didn’t say anything at first, although Viktor thought he heard a whispered ”yes!”. Then he chuckled.

”Well, Viktor, it seems Yu-Yu has found a dog sitter he likes better than the usual one. Sure, he can stay with you! We’ll keep in touch, and I’ll let you know when I’m back. And I’ll reimburse you for dog food and any other expenses of course.” For some reason he sounded like he was about to burst into laughter. 

”Great! And no need for reimbursement, he’s a nice little fellow and Makka can use a friend!” 

”Ok, bye for now!” Yu-Yu’s owner chirped, and the phone line went dead.

Viktor turned around and looked at the two dogs curled up in Makkachin’s cozy dog bed.

”Well, Yu-Yu, looks like you’re stuck with me for a while! I’ll be the best daddy, you’ll see!”


	2. Exposed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Secrets are revealed, on both sides.

Viktor decided to let the two poodles sleep while he caught up on household chores. He made the bed, put a load of laundry in the washing machine and dusted the bookshelves in the livingroom. Once he felt he’d done enough to earn himself the title domestic goddess, he sat down on the couch with a book and lost himself in the pages for a while. 

When the dogs woke up from their nap, they came padding over to nudge him gently with their noses, indicating it was Time To Go Out. He put his book down and put on a coat and sturdy shoes and got Makka’s leash, a spare leash for Yu-Yu, and clipped the leashes to the dogs’ collars. They took the elevator down to the ground floor and set off in the chill November air. Fortunately the sleet had stopped and there was actually a very pale sunshine, but the pavement was slippery and treacherous, and Viktor was very careful about where he put his feet.

When they reached the dog park and Viktor had closed the gate behind them, he unclipped their leashes and watched them run off, side by side. They were an endearing sight, because while they matched strides perfectly, the size difference was pronounced, and Makka shortened her stride so the smaller dog would be able to keep up. 

Viktor had brought a tennis ball that Makka liked playing with, and now he threw it a little past the dogs, hoping to engage them both in a ball game. Makka dashed off to catch the ball and carry it back to her dad to throw again, but Yu-Yu didn’t seem interested at all.

”Don’t you like playing with balls Yu-Yu? Doesn’t your papa throw balls for you to fetch?” Viktor was always talking to Makka like she could understand him, and he did the same with this new dog, but there was something odd about the tiny black poodle’s way of cocking his head to the side and meeting his gaze, like he really _did_ understand what Viktor was saying. Maybe he was just a very smart dog, Viktor thought.

They spent an hour at the dog park and then went home so Viktor could feed the dogs and cook himself something for lunch. The day continued with Viktor walking the dogs several times, in between cooking, reading and watching Animal Planet. The last dog walk for the evening was just a quick one around the block, and then they all headed to bed, the dogs in Makkachin’s huge plush dog bed, and Viktor in his king size in the bedroom. He fell asleep thinking he could get used to having two dogs.

******

Sometime during the early morning hours Viktor awoke to a panicked scrabbling of claws and whining from the livingroom. He bolted out of bed, stark naked, and opened the bedroom door to check on the dogs. He was afraid something had happened to Yu-Yu, but the room was all dark so he hit the light switch, and shielded his eyes against the glare. Then he lowered his hand and stared. 

Standing in the middle of the livingroom was a naked man with a dog collar around his neck. He was hiding his face in his hands, and shivering violently. 

”Who are you? How did you get in here?” Viktor was trying for an authorative tone, but he wasn’t sure it was successful. He knew he shouldn’t be checking the naked guy in his apartment out, he could be a robber or a junkie, or both – but he was naked, and he was very nicely built, lean and wiry, like a dancer or a figure skater. 

”I’m sorry!”, the man blurted out, and took his hands away from his face. And oh, he was beautiful, and absolutely adorable! He had wide brown eyes, lovely cheeks that were flushed with mortification at the moment, and his lips looked so very kissable. His dark hair stuck out in all directions, and the way he squinted made Viktor suspect he might be nearsighted. 

”What are you sorry about? Are you going to rob me?”

”N-no! Of course not! I just... I think I scared Makka. And I don’t have any clothes.” The man hung his head, and Viktor’s heart melted.

”Well, I don’t have any clothes on either, so I guess that’s not so bad. I’ll see if I can find something for you, hang on.” Viktor grabbed a bathrobe for himself and dug through his wardrobe, selecting a t-shirt that was a bit too tight for him, and a pair of sweatpants with a drawstring. He came out of his bedroom to find the stranger wrapped in the blanket Viktor kept on the couch. Upon being handed the clothes, the man snuck into the bathroom, turning his back on Viktor and revealing a _very_ nice backside. Dancer, figure skater, gymnast perhaps? That gluteus maximus was not earned through a couple of spinning passes at the local gym every week. 

When the stranger returned, dressed in a t-shirt that was slightly too large for him and sweatpants that were too long in the legs. He stopped to roll up the legs somewhat, and the t-shirt slipped over one shoulder. Viktor made an involuntary sound, and the man gave him an uncertain look. 

”Thank you for the clothes”, he mumbled, eyes downcast. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

Viktor did a double take.

”Why are you wearing Yu-Yu’s collar?” 

”Uh... this is probably going to sound crazy, but... I _am_ Yu-Yu.” 

Viktor’s jaw dropped. In fact, he was uncertain if it hit the floor or not, but concluded it must not have, because that would have hurt. 

”You’re... a poodle? I’m not sure I understand.”

”Well... you know those fantasy stories with characters who aren’t all human, but can shift into another form, like, a cat, or a wolf? I’m like that, only I turn into a poodle, and it’s not a fantasy story.”

Viktor stared at the lovely man before him who was calmly, or maybe not quite calmly, claiming to be a – a were-creature! It was absolutely preposterous, but he _was_ wearing a dog collar that looked very much like the one the miniature poodle wore. Then it hit him:

”That collar! Yu-Yu’s collar would never fit you, he’s just a tiny dog and you’re a human! You’re just trying to trick me.”

The young man’s lower lip wobbled a little. He surreptitiously wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and sighed. 

”Never mind. I should have known better than to try and tell anyone. I’ll just be going, I’ll return your clothes after I have them washed. Phichit has your number, correct?” He made for the door, but suddenly Viktor was standing between him and the door. 

”How did you know I talked to someone named Phichit? You wouldn’t know about that, unless you were there when I talked to him. And the only ones that were around at the time were Makka and Yu-Yu.”

”Just let me go, ok? Then you don’t need to readjust your view of the world, and everything will be fine.” The dark-haired man sounded defeated.

”I can’t let you go like that. You’re not wearing any shoes, for one. It’s really cold out there, and I think it’s started to snow. And where will you go?” There was no reply, so he continued: ”Why don’t I make us some breakfast, and you can tell me about what you are and why you were a poodle yesterday and a man today?”

*******

Half an hour later, they were both seated at Viktor’s small kitchen table, eating scrambled eggs and toast, with a pot of coffee between them and Moomin mugs full of steaming coffee. 

”So tell me, what should I call you? I’m guessing your name isn’t Yu-Yu?” 

”It’s Yuuri. Phichit calls my dog self Yu-Yu because he thinks I’m cute and need a cute name.” Yuuri blushed, and Viktor squealed internally at the absolute adorableness. 

”What do you do for a living, Yuuri?” 

”Uh. I’m a... I’m a figure skater, actually.”

Viktor stared at him. Yes, he could be thoughtless at times, and he was forgetful – but he didn’t think he would forget someone like Yuuri. Then he looked closer, and remembered the slight squinting from before. Maybe Yuuri normally wore glasses?

”Yuuri Katsuki!”, he blurted out. ”I didn’t recognise you without your glasses, and you wear your hair differently when you skate.” 

”You know who I am?” Yuuri seemed taken aback.

”I always keep a tab on the national champions of each country, or at least the ones that are interesting. Your skating is beautiful, so musical, and your Ina Bauer is out of this world! Your jumps are a bit inconsistent though.” 

Yuuri winced and stabbed a piece of toast with his fork. Viktor frowned and realised he could have phrased that in a more diplomatic way, but it _was_ the truth. 

”Yes, well, I’m the skater with the glass heart”, Yuuri said bitterly. ”I tend to fall to pieces when the pressure gets too hard.”

”And what does your coach do to help you when anxiety strikes?” Viktor wanted to know.

”There’s not much he can do. Just wait until it passes. Sometimes it takes until after a competition though.”

There was something about this that bothered Viktor. Why would coach Cialdini not try to help his skater work through his anxiety? It wasn’t like he could just remove it, but the least he could do was try to help surely? With this approach Yuuri would never reach his full potential.

”I’m not criticising your coach, but that sounds like it’s not a working tactic. If I may ask, what happens if you get an anxiety attack at home?”

”Well, Phichit knows what to do, he seemed to know almost instinctively from the beginning. He talks quietly, asks me to do small things that ground me, and when I manage to start breathing normally again, he holds me. Sometimes he hums something from ’The King and the Skater’, it’s his favourite movie. I’ve watched it with him so many times I know all the songs by heart, and that’s sort of soothing.” 

”So basically he’s quiet, soothing and helps you ground yourself? What about your coach?” Viktor was trying not to show how annoyed he was with Cialdini’s behaviour.

”That’s... not Ciao-Ciao’s style at all. He’s loud and boisterous and very Italian, big gestures, all that. And he gets really, well, he’s not good with crying or anxiety. He doesn’t know what to do, so he either ignores it and hopes it will go away, or he tries to smother it, which by the way doesn’t work.” Yuuri sighed. 

Viktor hummed, laying his index finger on his upper lip as he thought. 

”Perhaps you need a new coach? Someone whose coaching style fits better with your personality? Someone who can work with your anxiety, and bring out the potential that’s within. Don’t look at me like that, it’s there, I can tell!” 

Yuuri shook his head mutely. 

”You have great potential actually, and I think you know enough about me to know I don’t sugarcoat things. I can be blunt when it comes to skating. Your jumps are inconsistent and need a lot of work, but you could do it with the right coach. And your musicality, your expression, it’s amazing!”

”I don’t understand. I’m just a dime-a-dozen skater, nothing special.” Yuuri looked baffled, to put it mildly. 

”Are you saying I don’t know skating? That I don’t know what I’m talking about?” Viktor raised his eyebrows.

”No! No, of course not, I just...”

”You just don’t believe in yourself, and therein lies one of your greatest problems. You start doubting yourself, you overthink, you get caught in your own head and that brings on the anxiety, am I right? And then it spirals down.” 

Yuuri stared dumbly at Viktor. How could the five-time world champion, double Olympic gold medalist, know so much about this? 

”Yuuri. I can’t say I’ve been through the same thing you have, because I haven’t, but I do know a thing or two about self-hatred and self-doubt. You look surprised, but just think. You know where I’m from. You know... or perhaps you don’t, it hasn’t exactly been openly recognised... but I’m not heterosexual. I think you can guess the rest. I’ve seen quite a few therapists in the last years.”

Yuuri was still staring at Viktor, trying to think of something to say, and failing. It was difficult for him to reconcile the picture he had of the perfect, almost angelic skating champion with the perfect life, and this sad, lonely man who was far from perfect but still so very beautiful. He wondered how Viktor had managed to hide all this from the scandal press, and, presumably, from the skating federation. 

”You learn to hide behind brilliant smiles and smooth talk, and you make damn sure noone finds out about your weaknesses”, Viktor said quietly. ”That’s how I managed to hide my problems. I never got close to anyone, because I could never be sure they wouldn’t sell me out. If not at first, then inevitably when the relationship ended.”

”But now you’re letting me in on the secret”, Yuuri objected. ”How do you know you can trust me?” 

”I don’t, not really. I could point out that I know a big secret, the shape-shifting thing, but I won’t. I won’t use that against you. I don’t know that I can trust you, I just do.” 

Yuuri fought against the ugly doubt that was whispering in his ear, telling him it was preposterous to even imagine Viktor would want to be associated with him. The hope that was dawning in his mind helped. He swallowed hard and made the decision.

”Be my coach Viktor!”

”I thought you’d never ask!” 

The heart-shaped smile that accompanied the exclamation made the butterflies in Yuuri’s stomach go all crazy. And next thing he knew... he was sitting on all fours in a heap of clothes. Damn. Well, at least this time Viktor knew what it was all about. He put his paws on Viktor’s knee and barked, feeling both encouraged and a bit annoyed. Why did the shift always come at such inconvenient times? 

”Oh, Yuuri! Or should I call you Yu-Yu? You’re really very cute as a dog! But even cuter as a human!”

Dogs don’t blush, Yuuri reminded himself sternly, but he did his very best, putting his paws over his face and making Viktor laugh. 

”Come on Yu-Yu, let’s go for a walk with Makkachin and we’ll figure everything out later. Once you turn human again. Does it usually take long? Oh... you can’t talk, not like this. But you do understand me?”

Dog-Yuuri nodded. 

”Well, that makes it easier then. I can tell you just how amazing you are, and how cute and very attractive, and you can’t argue! Perfect!”


End file.
